A Well-Deserved Win
We are delighted to let you know that our winery partner McManis Family Vineyards was recognized last month by the Eighth Annual California Green Medal Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership Awards. McManis won the Community Award, one that recognizes the most innovative practices that enhance relations with employees, neighbours and communities. Here’s how the website Wine Business describes McManis’ achievements:
“Based in California’s northern interior, McManis Family Vineyards believes in community coming together to support a shared goal. The company regards employees as family, treating all employees to lunch every Sunday during harvest, and fosters a culture of respect through open communication. This unity extends to the community with wide support for local charities through donations and an annual toy drive where they collect over 2,000 toys for children each year. During the pandemic, McManis made health and safety its number one priority, making hand sanitizer for first responders, and hosting public COVID-19 vaccination clinics that served hundreds of employees and neighbors.
The winery also cares for the broader ecosystem, establishing a conservation easement to permanently protect native habitat and wildlife in and around one of their vineyards. It also implemented many practices to reduce its carbon footprint such as using electric UTVs and forklifts, solar, composting solid waste and recycling winery water. With vineyards certified to LODI RULES and the winery certified to Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing, McManis helps educate other wine grape growers about the importance of sustainability and the value of certification.”
The Vine congratulates McManis for this honour and for their ongoing commitment to sustainability in winegrowing!
The Wines
McManis 2020 Chardonnay, River Junction
Light golden straw in colour with bright fruit aromas of pear, melon, and peach. The palate is driven by notes of stone-fruit, banana, vanilla, and a hint of buttered popcorn. Rich and decadent, this Chardonnay can be enjoyed on its own or with a meal.
McManis Cabernet Sauvignon, Lodi
With an attractive nose of ripe black fruit, cassis, vanilla and woodsmoke, this generous and easygoing crowd-pleaser is ideal for gatherings of all kinds. It will shine equally well with finger foods or with grilled steaks, gourmet burgers or grilled ribs.
McManis 2020 Merlot, Lodi
Medium-ruby in colour and abundantly fruit-forward. The wine opens with notes of blackberry, vanilla cream, menthol and baking spices. The palate is dense and juicy, dominated by black fruit and closing with a pleasing, toasty finish.
McManis 2020 Zinfandel, Lodi
90 points and a Wine Enthusiast Best Buy
“This full-flavored and appetizingly tannic wine offers generous toasted oak and grilled meat aromas. The palate boasts good, pure blackberry and raspberry flavors and a mouthfilling sense of concentration.”
McManis 2020 Pinot Noir, Lodi
The 2020 Pinot Noir is light purple in colour and is bursting with fresh fruit aromas and flavours, leading with ripe red cherry, strawberry cream, and raspberry. The wine is silky on the palate with red fruit and vanilla undertones, culminating in a clean, lasting finish.
McManis 2020 Petite Sirah, Lodi
Rich purple colour. A delicious wine from front to back, leading with aromas and flavours of chocolate, caramel, toffee, and rich black fruit. The mid-palate is driven by mocha notes that carry through to the long, luxurious finish.
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About McManis Family Vineyards
The McManis family has been farming California’s North-Central Valley since 1938. When we started working with Jamie & Ron McManis – fourth generation farmers – in early 2002, they had just released the first vintage of their eponymous wines. It was fewer than 10,000 cases of the 2000 vintage, from estate and purchased fruit, and we were knocked out by the unparalleled value and appealing style of their wines.
Since then, McManis has taken on a life of its own, growing to more than 3,600 acres of sustainably-farmed estate vineyards and almost 400,000 cases annual production. The McManis family is the only vineyard owner in the ‘River Junction’ AVA – the smallest appellation in California. This cool growing area allows premium white grapes like Chardonnay, Viognier and Pinot Gris to reach their full potential. The majority of the family’s vineyards are located in Clarksburg, Lodi, Jahant-Lodi, Mokelumne River, and Clements Hills appellations – allowing them to find the best terroir for each grape variety. As a result, each of the McManis varietal wines is appellation specific.
The wines, winery and vineyards are Certified Sustainable under the Lodi Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing, among the most stringent certification bodies in the state. McManis was also awarded the Green Medal for Leadership by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance
Until the late 1990s, Ron & Jamie sold all of their grapes to other wineries. They continue to supply grapes, as well as finished and bulk wines, to a number of high-profile Napa and Sonoma wineries. This winery-to-winery business remains the largest part of the picture for McManis, typically about 80% of their capacity. However, what’s most satisfying for the family is putting their own name on the labels, and they’ve set a very high standard for the quality and value of these wines, reserving the best-of-the-best for the McManis label.
Winemaker Mike Robustelli has been with McManis since the 1999 harvest. Tanya (administration) and Justin McManis (production), and Tanya’s husband Dirk (vineyards), have joined their parents in the business, becoming the fifth generation to farm this region. As the San Francisco Chronicle says, “McManis makes honest, affordable table wines that outperform the competition.”
The McManis varietal wines are Estate Grown, Appellation-Specific, Certified Sustainable, and Vegan Friendly. And of course – family owned and operated. Authentic wines, outstanding value.
